


Never Have I Ever

by GoodyearTheShippyCat



Category: Starfighter (Comic)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drinking, Drinking Games, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friendship, Frottage, Getting to Know Each Other, Hand Jobs, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Never Have I Ever, Oral Sex, Party Games, Post-Coital Cuddling, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, Sweet, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 14:52:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19336783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodyearTheShippyCat/pseuds/GoodyearTheShippyCat
Summary: When Abel learns it is Ethos’ birthday, he decides some celebration is in order. What could be better than some classic party games?





	Never Have I Ever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SouthernLights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SouthernLights/gifts).



> Happy birthday to SouthernLights! I wrote you some fluffy Ethbel smut… and it got a little out of hand. Oops? What can I say, I love their dynamic! And I hope you enjoy it, too :D

Abel yawned, wide and loud, belatedly remembering to lift his hand to his mouth for the last second or two.

“Sorry, I guess I’m getting a little sleepy.”

“No, wo-hhh…” Ethos’ reply trailed off into a yawn of his own, though managed to be more polite, covering his mouth the whole time.

_Aww, he’s so cute with his eyes all scrunched up,_ the thought came unbidden to Abel’s sleep-deprived mind. He had to fight back a feeling of embarrassment so he wouldn’t blush. _What would Ethos think if he knew I was looking at him like that!_

“No worries,” the second try came out more clearly, “I’m a little tired, too. It’s getting pretty late. Or early now, rather.”

They’d been at these analyses for what seemed like forever. But Lieutenant Keeler had been adamant that they’d be required for tomorrow, no lateness permitted. Pulling an all-nighter had been pretty much guaranteed, so they’d made appropriate preparations.

The scattered remains of their midnight snacks littered mess hall trays abandoned on top of the drawers behind them. The mattresses jammed onto the floor made a comfortable enough work surface, especially as they changed positions over the hours of work. Sometimes sitting cross-legged, sometimes lying on their stomachs, even lying on their backs propped up with pillows so they could still see their laptop screens.

_Really glad I changed the sheets today,_ Abel reflected idly while toying with some code. Switching out a few expressions here and there to see if he could get the algorithm he was working on to parse them more efficiently.

They’d even arranged to have the room to themselves, which had been a chore and a half in itself. Almost like musical chairs, which he’d played at childhood birthday parties what seemed an eternity ago. Ethos had somehow managed to convince Deimos to go and stay in his room with Praxis—probably by leaving out the fact that it would also be benefitting Abel. For some reason Abel got the impression that the quiet little shadow who trailed his own fighter didn’t like him very much… Cain, of course, was much more difficult. But getting him to bunk with Praxis would have been impossible, so it was the only option. He refused, at first, then groused and sulked all the way to Deimos’ room.

Abel had only managed to get him to cooperate after many, many kisses. Plus promises about the way they’d spend the following night, which made him blush all the way back through the halls, adjusting his now too-tight pants.

As it turned out, Phobos was out for the night. Which was lucky, because trying to put him and Cain in the same room would _not_ have gone smoothly. It had been the part Abel was dreading most. Presumably he was spending the night with Porthos. Abel still wasn’t clear on where poor Athos went when they did that. As far as he knew, the friendly, chatty fighter wasn’t involved with anyone else on the ship.

_Who would want to stay in the same room as Porthos and Phobos at once?_ he thought, horrified by the very idea, _I wonder if they still manage to be bullies while they’re… no, don’t think about that!_

Abel fully expected to get harangued by the haughty navigator tomorrow. Phobos was sure to figure it out, somehow, even if Cain left bright and early for PT like he was supposed to. It was almost like he knew everything that was happening on the _Sleipnir_ , with eerie accuracy. Perhaps it came with being an inveterate gossip.

But it was all worth it to work in greater comfort than they would have sitting in lab chairs all night long. Abel shuddered at the thought of how stiff his neck would be after an additional five or six hours in one of those ‘ergonomic’ monstrosities, on top of spending nearly his entire shift in one that day.

From the mattress beside him, Abel heard a small sniffle.

_Funny, Ethos didn’t seem like he was coming down with a cold…_

Not even a minute later, he heard another soft, wet noise. He glanced sideways out of the corner of his eye to see Ethos surreptitiously wiping his face with the hem of his jacket sleeve.

“You can go to sleep for a bit if you’re exhausted, Ethos,” said Abel, “We’ve finished all the actual hard work now _._ ”

The other navigator gave him a wavering smile, and shook his head before resuming his typing.

“I can pull together the report for tomorrow,” Abel insisted, “Really, I don’t mind.”

“No, it’s, uh, it’s not that. I’m fine to keep going, thanks Abel.”

“But then… what’s wrong, Ethos? Are you okay?”

Ethos looked down at his laptop, nervously wringing his hands and sighing

“I- I’m fine... just, umm, a little homesick I guess,” he mumbled after a moment.

“Oh… I get homesick, too. I’m sure everybody does sometimes!”

“My mom sent an email to me today… er, yesterday now, I guess. But I still miss her.”

“Awww, I miss my mom, sometimes, too,” Abel tried to relate, purposefully ignoring subsequent thoughts of his father which inspired the opposite of homesickness, “It can be hard being away from Earth.”

“It’s just that it’s, uh… my birthday. Or it was when we started this, anyway,” Ethos said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh! Happy birthday, then!” exclaimed Abel.

“A- and it's kind of lonely up here. I didn’t even see Praxis all day.”

“Well, I’m sure if Praxis had known he would have said something… It’s too bad we had to work late for it, though.”

“Thanks Abel, you’re such a good friend,” said Ethos, adding shortly after, “Besides, there’s not really time for, you know, um, sentiment like that in a war, I guess. It’s, uh, it’s okay.”

They worked in silence for a few more minutes before Abel was struck with an idea.

“Hey, how about we finish this real quick and then celebrate a little?”

Ethos looked up again, watery blue eyes wide.

“Really?”

“Yeah! Why not? It’s not like we’re going to get much sleep at this point anyway.”

They worked with renewed vigor, getting analyses done like they were in the first few hours of work rather than the… _I don’t even want to think about how long we’ve been at this._

Once everything was saved and ready to present to Keeler later that morning, they shut the lids of their laptops with a satisfying finality. Abel opened up one of the drawers he’d been leaning on and dug around for a moment. The only thing he pulled out was an empty bottle.

“Darn, Cain must have taken his current bottle of contraband with him,” he said, slightly disappointed, “I guess we’ll just have to find another way to celebrate.”

“Hmmm… if you can wait a minute, I could go fetch something?”

“ _Ethos!_ When did you become such a rebel?”

The other navigator blushed as he stood up, brushing out the wrinkles in his pants.

“It’s easy to get away with things people don’t expect from you,” he said in a mischievous voice, then he hit the panel by the door and disappeared.

 

By the time he returned, bottle in hand, Abel had come up with a brilliant idea for their party of two. Though his train of thought was quickly derailed when he identified what the other man was carrying. His eyes boggled at the sight.

“Wow, my dad drinks that stuff, it’s really nice!” he said, unable to hide his shock, “Where on this ship have you been hiding that all this time?”

“Oh! I, uh, I’d been saving it for a special occasion,” said Ethos, sounding a little embarrassed.

“Well I’d say your birthday qualifies!”  

Ethos uncorked the bottle of amber liquid and took a small sip before passing it to Abel, who held it up in the air as if to toast.

“To as many years again, many times over!” he said, taking a sip of his own and trying not to cough at the strong burn. It was way nicer than the stuff Cain managed to procure, but he still wasn’t used to drinking hard liquor straight up.

“Let’s hope so…” said Ethos, taking the bottle back but not drinking yet. He still looked pretty disheartened, which sparked Abel’s memory.

“If we’re going to have a little party, we should play some games!” he said, excited, “What’s your favourite, Ethos?”

“Ha, sure! Uhh, how about ‘Never Have I Ever’?”

“Perfect! I’ll start with an easy one. Never have I ever gotten a tattoo.”

Ethos didn’t take a drink from the bottle he was holding.

“Umm, does that mean it’s my turn, then?”

“Unless you want to play where if nobody drinks, the original person has to take a drink,” said Abel, thoughtful, “But that seems a bit silly with just two of us.”

“Ha ha, yeah, okay,” said the other man, looking thoughtful for a moment before adding, “Never have I ever ridden a motorcycle.”

“Ethos! Are you cheating?”

“Wha- what?! N- no, of course not. Why?”

“So you _didn’t_ already know I love to ride?” asked Abel, skeptical, “I didn’t tell you that at any point?”

“No, I wouldn’t have said it if I knew!” replied Ethos, clearly a little affronted but passing the whisky over anyway, “Really, though?”

“Yeah,” Abel confirmed before taking another sip, “My main sport bike is a gorgeous, bright, lime green. I miss taking it out.”

“You’re fearless, aren’t you? No wonder you’re such a good navigator.”

Abel felt his cheeks heat at the praise.

“I don’t know about that… riding’s just fun. The power, the speed… I love the way it feels like you can get away from everything,” he said, then quickly added, “But what are your favourite hobbies?”

“Just the usual stuff, I guess. Videogames, swimming, sometimes I like to sketch—”

“Oh! Are you an artist?”

“Ha! Not the most amazing one or anything. It’s just fun... And I do some volunteering, too. I definitely miss that.” 

“What kind of volunteer work do you do?” Abel asked, curiosity piqued.

“Uh, well, once a week I helped out at an afterschool program for kids with learning disabilities. Then every other Friday I would take a shift at the local animal shelter.”

_Could he be any sweeter?_ Abel was pretty certain it wasn’t just the alcohol talking, as he looked back at his friend.

“Wow, that’s really great of you. How did you get into those?”

“Oh… I, ummm… I have a learning disability, too. My, uh, my mods didn’t catch the dyslexia. Growing up, I felt really… alone. I guess I wanted to make sure other kids could see someone like them who was still following their dreams and, uh, succeeding.”

“That’s… that’s pretty cool, Ethos,” said Abel, but he couldn’t help asking, “Really, dyslexia? I wouldn’t have guessed. You’re such a whiz with translation.”

The tousle-haired man grinned back at him.

“Yeah, I mean, I guess it’s been kind of helpful, in the end,” he said, “I just think about language a little differently? I took to coding really quickly, and it seems to help with parsing the Colteron military _lingua franca_ , in particular. No clue why, though.”

“And the animal shelter?”

“Ummm, I always wanted a pet, but my dad hated the idea of animals running around the house,” said Ethos, “So, I started at the animal shelter because it was kind of like getting to have all the pets!”

“Ha ha, I can see that! But why didn’t you just get a reptile? Or an amphibian? I’ve got an iguana back home, and they’re a bit big, but a gecko or frog or something could live in a tank.”

“Whoa! An _iguana_? That’s so cool,” Ethos exclaimed, wide-eyed, “What’s it’s name?”

“His name is Newton. He’s the best,” said Abel, starting to feel a bit homesick, himself, “I’ve had him since I was just a kid…” 

_No point moping. I’m sure he’s fine without me. Clarice promised to take good care of him,_ Abel got lost in thought for a moment, but soon realized that Ethos hadn’t said anything since he’d started talking. He looked over at the other navigator, who suddenly seemed to be as shy as when he’d first arrived on the _Sleipnir_.

“What’s up, Ethos?”

“O- oh! I just, uh, I was just thinking how nice it is that we met through the Alliance…”

“It is. I’m glad we met, too.”

“I mean, you’re way too cool to, ummm, have ever been friends with me,” said Ethos in a rush of words, “At least back on Earth.”

Abel gave a startled laugh. “What? No! I would have done just about anything to have a friend like you back home.”

“…really?”

“Yeah,” said Abel with a smile, “Besides, I wasn’t very cool growing up. I definitely wasn’t the popular kid.”

“Huh, could’ve fooled me,” the other navigator giggled awkwardly. It was adorable.

_Aaah! What is wrong with me? Why do I keep thinking about him like this?_

“Uh, we got a bit off topic,” said Ethos in the lull of conversation, “I think it’s your turn again.”

“Right, of course! Never have I ever… played Truth or Dare.”

“What? Never?”

“Nope. I mean, I’ve seen people play it. I just never took part before,” said Abel, feeling vaguely embarrassed.

“Well, would you like to start? We could change games.”

“But it’s your turn. _And_ you need to take a drink!” Abel said as he passed the bottle back over.

“It is, isn’t it?” said Ethos, taking a larger gulp than last time, “Okay, truth.”

“Hmmm. Have you and Praxis ever… _you know?_ ”

“Oh! N- no, no… it isn’t like that between us,” he stammered, a blush spreading over his cheeks, “Ah, not that there’s anything wrong with, umm, doing that with your fighter. I mean, as far as I’m concerned…”

“But would you? Do you like him?” Abel pried, feeling nosier than usual.

_What’s Ethos’ type, anyway? I don’t think he’s ever mentioned anyone to me._

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s not that he’s not handsome… I- I guess I’d just want to know him better, uh, to really consider it… I barely ever see him, even for mandatory training. Besides, he likes someone else, so no point worrying about it.”

“Ughhh, I’m sorry,” Abel said, picking up the bottle and taking another drink just to deal with the awkwardness of the situation, “I just don’t know how to get him to leave off it. I already made it as clear as I could that I’m not interested…”

“Huh? Oh, right… I wasn’t talking about that, though!”

Abel looked back into pale blue eyes, dumbfounded by what he’d just heard.

“Ummm, when I went to get that,” Ethos pointed at the whisky in Abel’s hand, “Uh, Deimos wasn’t in my bunk…”

“What? Did he go back to his— oh. Oh!”

_I wonder if Cain knows about that…_ he thought to himself. It didn’t seem like a very good idea to ask him about it, though.

“Ha, yeah… your turn!”

“I’ll go with truth, too.”

“Why didn’t you ever join your friends playing Truth or Dare before?” asked Ethos, looking sincere in his question.

“They… they weren’t really _friends_. Not really,” replied Abel, before adding, “I just never really had a group of people I trusted enough…”

He saw the start of a concerned frown and looked down at the mattress, wondering how rude it would be to take another drink before Ethos had any more.

“Does that mean… you trust me?”

Abel hadn’t been expecting that question. He looked back up at his friend; the open expression on the other man’s face made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Yeah. I mean, of course I do, Ethos. You and Cain are probably the people I trust most on the whole ship.”

“Oh! Good. Umm, I’m glad.”

“… me too,” Abel couldn’t help smiling back at the other navigator, “So, truth or dare?”

“One of us needs to pick dare eventually.”

“I dare you to play Spin the Bottle with me!”

“Are you trying to break a record for most party games played in one sitting?” asked Ethos with an uncertain little laugh, the blush making a reappearance on his face.

“I don’t think I know enough of them for that, but we could always try,” said Abel, passing Ethos the full bottle of booze and reaching behind himself for the empty one he’d pulled from the drawers earlier.

As he tried to figure out where best to place it on the mattresses so it wouldn’t jam in the space between them, he heard Ethos clear his throat.

“Uhh, you know, Abel, Spin the Bottle usually requires more people. Having only one person besides the spinner kind of takes the element of chance out of it.” 

“Hmm, you’re right...”

Abel heard a faint exhale from the man beside him, then continued.

“We could play Seven Minutes in Heaven, instead? That only needs two,” he suggested, lowering his voice and trying to sound flirtatious.  

Ethos took a large swig of whisky, though whether because he’d played that before and was still in ‘Never Have I Ever’ mode or because he needed the boost of liquid courage, Abel couldn’t tell.   

Apparently his proposition was accepted; after corking the bottle again and setting it aside, Ethos shuffled closer on the mattresses. Abel leaned in, stopping just before their lips met. He could feel his heart rate pick up with that mop of tousled blond hair brushing his own fluffy bangs, that sweet cupid’s bow close enough he could practically taste it. The air between them smelled like whisky over stale, up-too-late breath, and all he wanted was to close the distance and swallow it up.

_What if he doesn’t want to, though?_ the worry stopped Abel from acting on his desires for a moment.

“Um, Abel,” Ethos said, voice quiet and a little scratchy, “Are you sure? Is this okay?”

Abel didn’t bother answering in words, just moved until he could feel Ethos’ slightly open mouth underneath his own. Those plush lips quickly went from rigid shock to soft, giving, and eager.

Ethos kissed him back—tentatively at first—and grew bolder with every little encouragement Abel gave him. A hand on Ethos’ back became a passionate embrace, a playful little nip became fingers buried in his hair, pulling him closer.

“Are you having a good birthday, now?” Abel asked, slightly breathless when they finally parted.

“It’s gotten a lot better, yeah.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for a few intense seconds. Then they were rolling on the mattresses together; limbs entwining, hands exploring feverishly, mouths working against each other like the only air they could get into their lungs came from inside the other. Abel pressed himself up against every inch of Ethos he could manage while they kissed. There were too many layers of fabric in the way, but he didn’t want to let go of strong shoulders or the curve of lower back into delightfully round ass for the amount of time required to remove it.

“Ah! Abel, you’re so amazing,” panted the other navigator, nosing at his jaw. Hands quested up beneath Abel’s uniform jacket, untucking his undershirt to find bare skin, the tiny bit of touch electric, “I- I never thought…”

Ethos’ voice, normally so high and bright, sounded rougher. Abel could practically hear the other man’s arousal rattling down through his inner ear bones, stoking his own growing need. The rest of whatever he was trying to communicate was lost to big, sucking kisses down Abel’s neck and just above his collar, dipping down his throat with the notch in the fabric at the front closure.

They clumsily got each other’s jackets off, distracted as they went by each new bit of exposed skin. Nuzzling where necks met shoulders, trailing fingers along collarbones, running curious hands over forearms and triceps.

“Mmm, it’s been, ahh, too long since I last did this,” Ethos mumbled into Abel’s hairline before mouthing along the outer edge of his ear.

“That’s, nnnn- that’s a shame,” replied Abel, cut off as Ethos kissed him deeply, tongue sliding against his own before moving on again, “More people should really, ahhh, be lining up for it.”

He heard a quiet, embarrassed-sounding giggle and could feel the burning blush on Ethos’ cheek pressed into the crook of his neck.

He could have lain there forever, writhing underneath the other navigator. Their hips rocking against each other, building friction slow and relentless. Ethos’ solid form weighing him down, pressing him into the thin mattress, making his breaths come shallower and ever more desperate. The feel of their erections pressed alongside each other. Slow, patient movements contrasting their short, needy gasps.

Still too much clothing between them, though. Abel pulled the last of Ethos’ undershirt hem out from his waistband, in the places where he hadn’t already been running his fingers along warm skin beneath. Peeling it off exposed a pale chest, broader and softer than his own. Above it, a shy, smiling face was surrounded by blond locks even more mussed up than usual. Some of the unruly hair was sticking up with the static of fabric passing over it. Abel couldn’t resist; he ran his hands through it, eliciting a soft sigh from Ethos, who leaned into the touch.

Pretty soon Abel’s undershirt was gone, too, tossed aside without a care—the magnetic pull of skin on skin making them both forget their usual meticulous attention to detail. It still wasn’t enough. Abel tried to get at the zipper on Ethos’ pants, but the angle was too tricky.

“Roll over,” he huffed, bucking his hips up in an attempt to underscore his point. It backfired, making them both groan and press into each other again.

Ethos eventually followed the order, though, reluctantly rolling off of Abel and lying on his side.

“Umm, what would you like to do?”

Abel ran his palm down the center of Ethos’ chest, over a softer midsection, toward the zipper he’d been after earlier. He took a quick detour to Ethos’ hip, pressing at it. The other navigator let himself be manipulated, rolling once more to lie flat on the mattress, propped up on his elbows.

“You’re the birthday boy. I think the proper question is what would _you_ like?” Abel said as he straddled Ethos’ thighs, dragged the zipper down, and teased his fingers inside the opening, along the exposed waistband of military-issue briefs.

The only answer he got was a sharp inhale.

“Would you… like it… if I… sucked you off?” asked Abel as he slid further down, kissing his way over chest and abdomen between words.

He looked up again after he’d planted a soft kiss just below Ethos’ belly button. The other man’s cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were deep pools of lust. Abel watched as a bright pink tongue tip flashed out between slightly parted lips in what could have been nerves or excitement. Maybe both.

“Yes. Uh, if, I mean, if you want to, I, uhmm… I’d like that.”

Abel smiled up at his friend before turning his attention back to clothing removal. Pushing white fabric down over hips, kissing along the skin just above underwear elastic as he did so. He could feel the other man relax beneath him, nerves ebbing away—just a hint of anticipatory tension left vibrating under the surface.

The outline of Ethos’ cock made Abel’s salivary glands kick into high gear. He mouthed down along it, feeling his hot breath moisten the fabric slightly. It sounded like Ethos had bitten back a moan; the aborted noise transforming into a small buck of his hips. Abel hooked his fingers into the waistband and pulled, exposing the other man’s arousal. Ethos helped kick his pants and underwear the rest of the way off.

Abel couldn’t resist and licked a stripe straight up the entire length of it, firm heat beneath his tongue making him want more. Ethos clutched at the sheets and moaned again, letting it out this time.

Encircling the very tip, Abel began to slowly take Ethos into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the shaft as he sank down, feeling his lips stretch to encompass its thick girth. Reaching bottom, he sucked his cheeks in as he moved back up, then down again, slow and steady.

Abel, was determined to give Ethos a birthday gift to remember.

He was almost surprised at how uninhibited the other navigator became, his usual nervous demeanour falling away to reveal someone unafraid to be vocal, to show Abel exactly the effect he was having. Panting breaths, soft words of encouragement, moans and whines and whimpers. Everything he did seemed to elicit a new and thrilling response as he greedily sucked at Ethos’ gorgeous cock.

“Ahhhh! Abel, Abel, please… nnnn… oh please keep going… so good… hnnnn!”

Abel loved it. It spurred him on; made him want to see just how many different kinds of noises he could coax out of his friend. His brain whirred as his head bobbed up and down, trying to recall every trick he’d been practising on Cain.

His hands got in on the action, too, moving with his mouth, in counterpoint to it, or just tickling along the insides of the other man’s thighs. Brushing his balls lightly got a particularly surprised sound which turned to gasps of pleasure when Abel began to cup and caress them.

He felt gentle hands thread into his hair—not applying any pressure, just stroking along his scalp as he moved, twitching in time with a groan or babbled words of praise when he changed up his technique.

“Ohhhh, ah! Ahh, Abel, fuck… You might want to slow down or…” Ethos panted, actually gripping at his hair now, pulling upward, though still gentle—more of a suggestion than an order. “I, ahhh, I’m getting too close.”

Abel took one of his own hands off of Ethos’ thighs and grasped one of the other man’s wrists. The hand willingly came along, resting on the mattress next to them, where Abel entwined their fingers.

Then he sped up, taking shallow breaths through his nose as he took Ethos’ length deep. Feeling his mouth filled, his throat just starting to catch on the end of that delicious cock.

“Unhh! Nnghh! I’m gonna… ahhh!”

He could feel Ethos’ thigh trembling under his other hand. The fingers left in his hair convulsed, tangling in it to create an exciting bit of pull each time he moved his neck downwards.

Ethos came with a garbled yell, Abel pretty certain his name was somewhere in the barely intelligible mess of sounds. But he was rather distracted by the rush of liquid heat in his mouth, swallowing it down and reveling in the other man’s pleasure. He continued to suck, more delicately now, savouring the last bursts of bitter-saltiness with the aftershocks. When he felt the hand drop away from atop his head, he finally pulled off, placing a final kiss to seal his work and feeling Ethos tremble beneath him as he did.

He slid back up beside his friend, observing the effects of his handiwork, pleased. Ethos was still breathing heavier, face flushed, a little sweat standing out on his brow. Pale hair even more wild from where the man had thrown it back against the mattress as he thrashed at points.

“Happy birthday,” said Abel with a sly smile once those soft blue eyes were focused on his once more.

“Thank you,” Ethos said, sounding tired and sated. He reached out to pull Abel in for another kiss, licking into his mouth and making a soft noise of satisfaction.

Abel whimpered as his own neglected cock—still trapped in the confines of his uniform—rubbed against Ethos’ naked hip.

“Oh, Abel, I’m sorry! I got so caught up in… Let me do something for you, too?”

“Okay,” Abel quickly agreed, shucking his pants off in record time.

He could almost have come the moment Ethos reached out to grasp his agonizingly hard erection, desperate for stimulation. But he rode out the initial waves of pain-pleasure- _too much_ , and sank into a comfortable state of high arousal as they established a rhythm.

He cuddled into the other navigator’s side, enjoying lingering kisses and the feeling of a new, unfamiliar grip stroking him.

Something about the angle was off, though. As much as he wanted to keep kissing Ethos, he wanted to get off even more.

“One second,” he said, finally pulling away from those intoxicatingly plush lips.

_I wonder what they’d feel like if he did the same as I just did,_ Abel thought as he flipped over to his other side.

He snuggled in again, held up against Ethos like they were spooning, leaning back against his chest. Strong arms encircled him, and one found its place around his cock again, making him moan wantonly.

“Is this good?” Ethos asked.

Abel shivered as the panted question ruffled the short hairs at the back of his neck, nodding in confirmation.

He was so happy, wrapped up in someone he trusted, feeling sweet breath on the back of his neck. Other touches even sweeter as they sent sparks of pleasure up his spine.

_His biceps are almost as big as Cain’s—how had I never noticed that before?_

Yet he was so much more gentle than Cain usually was, almost like Abel was something precious Ethos had to be careful with. It was novel, and just what he wanted at the moment.

“Mmh, Ethos, yessss…”

He tilted his head back and was rewarded with light, ticklish kisses along his neck.

Abel was already getting close, Ethos’ hands just as clever on his dick as they were manipulating a navigation orb, or flying across a keyboard writing code for their analyses. He wanted to be even closer, though.

He pressed his ass back against Ethos’ lap, getting a gasp in response which made his dick twitch with longing. He rolled his hips, feeling the other man’s still half-hard length between his cheeks. A drip of forgotten come smeared from the tip onto his lower back as they moved; slippery and tempting. It made Abel think of what it would be like to feel it fully slicked and hard again, teasing him like this.

“Nnh! Nnnnnhh,” he whimpered, doubly turned on by the ministrations of the other navigator in reality and the one in his fantasy.

_Fuck, I want him so badly._

He sort of wished he hadn’t given such a good blowjob earlier, so that Ethos could be fucking him right now. Wished he could feel the other navigator pressing into him, thrusting into him with as much care as he used his hand. And as much enthusiasm, and the same clear intent not to stop until he’d made Abel feel so, _so_ good.

Ethos would pound him just like he wanted, asking if there was anything else he could do, happy to bend to any demand. To put all his focus and sweetness and strength into fucking him.

_Maybe next time_ , thought Abel, almost delirious with arousal as he got closer and closer to climax. He allowed himself to be noisy, too, feeling comfortable to follow the example Ethos had already set.

“Haa...haa…hnnnngh! Just, haa- just a little faster!”

Ethos complied immediately, holding him even tighter with the other arm as he sped the pace of his strokes, keeping that perfect, firm grip. The little bit of rotation as he pulled his hand up each time was driving Abel to the edge. Making his hips twitch and his abs contract in anticipation.

The pleasure that had been building behind his pelvis was nearly uncontainable now. He threw his arms up and back to grasp at whatever parts of Ethos he could reach, feeling soft curls and the top of broad shoulders and wanting more of all of it. He wailed his release as it was pumped out of him, then collapsed back against the man who’d done it, feeling boneless and spent.

Shifting away from the fresh wet spot on one mattress, Abel found the hand of the arm Ethos had draped over him, squeezing it and sighing happily into the pillow.

“We still have time for a quick nap before morning briefings start,” he said, still buzzing from the pleasure but knowing he would crash soon enough.

“Sounds good,” came the reply from behind him, followed by a yawn.

The sound of their breathing and the hum of the ship began to lull Abel into a drowsy calm. He was warm and comfy—both physically and in some less concrete sense—happy with how the night had turned out, as unexpected as it was. His eyelids were starting to droop, heavy and ready for him to drift off.

“You know… I don’t feel so lonely anymore,” Ethos murmured into the back of Abel’s neck, brushing his lips against it in a sleepy kiss, “I had a really good birthday.”  

Abel smiled as sleep claimed him.

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> The idea of a Colteron lingua franca used specifically for military transmissions comes from the always clever [on_the_wing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/on_the_wing)


End file.
